From Left: Hussein Hassan Mustafa, Ibrahim Adan Dheq, Liban Abdulahi
and Mohammed Ahmed. The four were on November 4th charged over the
Westgate shopping mall terror attack in which at least 70 people were
killed and over 200 others injured on September 21.
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Four men were Monday charged over the Westgate shopping mall
terror attack in which at least 70 people were killed and over 200
others injured on September 21.
The accused — all in their 20s — were taken to the Milimani court in Nairobi under tight security.
Mohammed
Ahmed Abdi, Liban Abdullah, Hussein Hassan Mustafa and Ibrahim Adan
Dheq were charged with five counts of supporting terrorism and obtaining
false identification documents.
State counsel James
Kirui said that before the fateful day, Mohamed Ahmed Abdi and Liban
Abdullah Omar supported two terrorists identified as Abdinur Said and
Hassan Dhohullow in “committing a terrorist act at the Westgate Mall”.
He
also accused Ibrahim Adan Dheq of offering shelter to one Abdikadir
Hared Mohammed alias Mohammed Hussein at Salman Al-Faris Madrassa on
Eastleigh’s Muyuyu Avenue in Nairobi on or before October 7 while
knowing he had committed a terrorist act.
Dheq was
further charged with obtaining a false Kenyan identity card on July 13,
2010 at the National Registration Bureau office in Mandera Town.
All
the four denied the charges and were remanded at the Kilimani Police
Station for seven days to enable police to complete investigations.
None
of the men was accused of being the gunmen who shot indiscriminately at
shoppers in the Westgate Mall. However, the four are suspected to have
been involved in the attack in different ways, alongside others who are
either at large or were killed in the security operation.
The
four communicated with the court through a Somali translator because
they had indicated that they did not understand English or Kiswahili.
At different stages during the proceedings, the accused raised their hands to catch the court’s attention or mumbled.
Mr
Kirui said the police had sworn an affidavit against the accused being
granted bail on grounds that they are international criminals with no
permanent residence in the country and were likely to interfere with
ongoing investigations.
Inspector Kennedy Musyoki swore the affidavit, saying, four accomplices died in the security operation to rescue hostages.
“Investigations
were commenced which led to arrests of a number of suspects including
the respondents who were either directly or indirectly involved in the
mall attack,” Mr Kirui said.
He told the court that investigations covered North Eastern, Kakuma and the neighbouring Somalia and Uganda.
“We
believe they are international criminals who, if granted bail, will
definitely abscond and it will be difficult to trace them,” Mr Kirui
said.
“Granting the suspects bail is tantamount to
allowing them to roam the country to accomplish their machinations of
causing mass destruction to life and property and interference with
witnesses thereby obstructing the course of justice.”
The
magistrate, Ms Dolphine Okundi, concurred that the police had
compelling reasons to disallow the release of the suspects on bond.
“Bail or bond at this stage is denied,” the magistrate ruled and ordered that the four be remanded for a week.
The accused chatted briefly as they waited to be led back to the cells after the court proceedings.
Their nationalities have not been disclosed, but they are believed to be from Somalia.